In wake of yesterday’s charges laid against the trucking company owner involved in the Humboldt Broncos bus collision, the Canadian Trucking Alliance is once again calling on regulators to implement the Alliance’s Ten-Point Action Plan aimed at improving the safety performance of a small minority of non-compliant trucking companies that put a blemish on an industry which remains steadfastly committed to highway safety.

“The justice system has yet to determine guilt in this case. However, this horrific collision should be a watershed moment for all truck safety regulators to take quick and decisive action in ending non-compliant behaviour by a minority of trucking operators,” said CTA president Stephen Laskowski. “CTA’s Ten Point Plan provides a roadmap for regulators on how to take action against those carriers who are not fully committed to safety and compliance.”

The charges against the trucking company reportedly include failure to maintain logs for drivers’ hours of service, failure to monitor the compliance of a driver under safety regulations, having more than one daily log for any day and failure to have or follow a written safety program.

Part of CTA’s Ten Point Plan includes the mandatory introduction of electronic logging devices (ELD) for hours of service monitoring in all Canadian trucks by January 2020, which would harmonize enforcement of a Canadian ELD rule with the U.S. regulation as well as end non-compliant carriers’ abuse of the outdated paper logbook system.

“Under an ELD rule, it would be extremely difficult to engage in the types of violations the trucking company in this case is accused of. Transport Canada and the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators have told CTA that implementing the ELD rule is a top safety priority,” added Laskowski. “CTA’s sincere hope is that governments are ready to enforce an ELD mandate across Canada by January 2020.”